Circuit breaker with auxiliary switch



Original Filed Dec. 19, 1958 P 7, 1963- D. a. POWELL ETAL 3,104,297

CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AUXILIARY SWITCH '4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR DAVID B. Powzu.

A TTORNE Y Sept. 17, 1963 D. B- POWELL ETAL "3,104,297

CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AUXILIARY SWITCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec. 19, 1958 FIG.5

FIGS

IN V EN TOR DAVID B. Poweu. BY fifM/% C ATTORNEY D. B. POWELL ETAL 3, 04,297

CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AUXILIARY SWITCH Original Filed Dec. 19, 1958 Sept. 17, 1963.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR DAVID B. Povfgu. BY C ATTORNEY Sept. 17,, 1963- D. B. POWELL ETAL CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AUXILIARY SWITCH Original Filed Dec. 19, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 R6. IO

IN VEN TOR DAVID B. Powzu. I

ATTORNEY i United States Patent CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AIY SWITCH David Barton Powell, Bristol, Conn, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York ()riginal application Dec. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 781,766, new

Patent No. 3,046,371, dated July 24, 1962. Divided and this application Get. In, 1960, Ser. No. 61,410

4 Claims. (61. 280-416) My invention relates to electric circuit breakers and particularly to electric circuit breakers of the multi-pole type including movable contacts for each pole operated by an oVercenter-spring type operating mechanism, the whole being enclosed in a casing of molded insulating material and suitable for use in industrial and commercial applications.

This application is a division of impending application Serial Number 781,766, filed December 19, 1958, now Patent No. 3,046,371, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

It is an object of the invention to provide a circuit breaker and an auxiliary switch adapted to be mounted therein such that the auxiliary switch is actuated to a predetermined condition upon the movement of the parts of the circuit breaker mechanism to their automatically opened or trip position, without requiring appreciable special modification of the circuit breaker mechanism or the addition of extraneous parts.

In accordance with the invention in one form, an electric circuit breaker is provided comprising a molded insulating casing containing the usual separable contacts and operating mechanism, including a manually engageable handle projecting through an opening in the top of the insulating casing. An auxiliary switch is mounted in a chamber of the insulating casing alongside the chamber containing the operating mechanism and includes an actuator having a portion projecting into the path of movement of the operating handle. The operating handle includes a recess into which the switch actuator is adapted to extend when the handle moves to the automatically opened or tripped position. This causes actuation of the auxiliary switch and indication of the tripped condition of the circuit breaker.

Qther objects and advantages of the invention will, in part be pointed out and, in part, become obvious from the following detailed description and the scope of the invention will be pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a multipole circuit breaker incorporating the invention, a portion of the casing being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation VIEW partially in section taken generally on the line 22 of FIGURE 1 and showing the primary current path through one pole of the circuit breaker;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of the operating mechanism, partially in section;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view of the operating mechanism, the parts being shown in automatically opened or tripped condition;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, on enlarged scale, showing the details of mounting of the mechanism side frames in the insulating casing;

FIGURE 5A is a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of the mechanism side frames of the circuit breaker of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a t'ragmentary elevation view of a portion of the mechanism of a modified form of the invention adapted for use in a single-pole circuit breaker;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of the cur- 2 rent responsive tripping mechanism parts of the circuit breaker of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of current responsive tripping mechanism of a modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective View of current responsive tripping mechanism of another modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 10 is a top plan View of a port-ion of the circuit breaker of FIGURE 1 showing an auxiliary or trip alarm switch in postion.

In the drawings, the invention is shown in FIGURE 1 as incorporated in a three-pole electric circuit breaker comprising an insulating casing including an insulating base portion 10 and an insulating cover portion 11. The base portion 10 includes three elongated side-by-side recesses 12, only one shown, each having a relatively stationary contact 13 mounted therein on a terminal strap 14 which, in turn, is connected to a line terminal 15, positioned in' a recess located at one end of the circuit breaker. A relatively movable contact 16 is also provided in each of the chambers 12 and is carried by a two-part contact arm comprising a contact-carrying portion 17 and a mounting portion 18 which are pivotally interconnected by pivot pin 19. The contact-carrying portion 17 is biased for rotation about the pivot pin 19 with respect to the mounting portion 18 by means of a compression spring 20, and such rotation is limited in the clockwise direction by the engagement of the contact-carrying portion 17 with an upwardly bent stop portion 21 carried by the mounting portion 18.

F or the purpose of assisting in extinguishing arcs, each chamber 12 is provided with a series of spaced notched plates 13a, and a generally V-shaped grid 13b, through which are gases are forced to pass in escaping. The grids 131) are formed of relatively thick sheet metal having a plurality of closely spaced holes therein.

The mounting portion 18 of the contact arm is generally U-shaped and has aligned generally square openings in the opposite sides there-of adjacent the bight, through which a common contact cross arm 22 extends, having an enlarged hub portion of generally square cross section and a metallic reinforcing core 23. The portion 18 is attached firmly to the contact cross arm 22 by means of a generally U-shaped hastening member 24 which extends around the contact cross arm and has its ends bent extending through and bent over the 'bight portion of the member 18.

Clockwise rotation of the contact cross arm 22 therefore causes clockwise rotation of the contact arm assembly and engagement of the movable contact 16 with the stationary contact 13. Following initial engagement of these contacts slight further rotation of the contact cross arm takes place causing slight compression of the spring 20, providing dependable contact pressure.

The contact-carrying portion 17 of the contact arms are each connected by a flexible conductor or braid 25 to a connecting strap 26, which in turn is connected to a relatively rigid magnet windin g conductor 27 encircling a magnet core member 28 and having its other end connected to the lower end of an elongated bimetallic strip member 29, which in turn is anchored to the insulating casing by suitable means such as by screw 30.

The upper end of the bimetallic strip 29 is connected by a flexible conductor or braid 31 to a terminal strap 32 which in turn is fixedly attached to a load terminal member 33 positioned in a recess at the load end of the circuit breaker.

to conductive strap 32, to flexible conductor 31, through bimetallic strip 29, to magnet winding 27, to connecting strap 26, to flexible conductor 25, to contact-carrying member 17, to movable contact 16,. to stationary contact 13%, to connecting terminal strap "14-, to line terminal 15.

The magnet core 28 has two irregularly shaped pole pieces 34 fixedly attached to the opposite ends thereof. A relatively movable armature 35 is also provided, comprising a member formed out of relatively thin sheet metal material and pivotally supported by engagement of the shoulders 36 thereof which rest upon corresponding shoulders or ledges in the'i-nsulating casing of the base 10. The armature member 35 has an upstanding portion 37 for purposes described, an intermediate ofiset portion, and a depending relatively wide portion 38 which is adapted to be attracted to the pole face portions 34 of the magnet to cause tripping in a manner to be described.

The armature member '35 is biased for rotation, counterclockwise by means of an elongated leaf-type spring (see FIGURE 1, omitted from FIGURE 2 for clarity) 39 which is rigidly attached to the armature 35 at a point just above the pivot point 36 and which has its lower end extending into engagement with a side ledge portion of the side wall of the insulating casing. Theractio-n of the spring 39 is such as to resist movement of'the armature member in a clockwise direction and to normally retain it in engagement with a stop surface 4t integral with the insulating casing.

The armature member 35 is therefore supported simply by resting in insulating bearings in the side walls of each chamber and its normal position is determined by insulating surfaces 40 provided in the insulating casing by molding. The normal position of the armature is therefore very closely controlled by the molded-in dimensions of the insulating casing.

In order to protect the bimetallic strip from being adversely affected by short circuit currents, a bypassing circuit is provided comprising a flexible conductor or braid I .41 having one end thereof attached to the upper end of the bimetallic strip 29 and having its other end connected to an intermediate portion of the armature 35. A contact *42 is also provided on the armature 35 adapted to coact with a contact 43 mounted on a conducting strap 44 connected to the flexible conductor 25 by means of screw 45.

On the occurrence of high short-circuit currents, the

armature member 35 is attracted toward the pole members 34- and the contact 42 touches the contact 43. At this time, therefore, a bypassing circuit is established which shunts the greater portion of such short-circuit current around the'bimetallic strip 29 and the magnet 28,

directly to the braid 25 and the movable contact.

For the purposegof. operating the contact cross arm 22 and its associated contact arm assemblies between open and closed circuit positions manually as desired and automatically upon the occurrence of predetermined current conditions in the circuit through such contacts, an operating mechanism is provided, as shown particularly at FIGURES 3-5. The mechanism comprises a pair of op posed side plates 5% and 51, see FIGURE 5, which are generally planar throughout the major portion thereof but have the right-hand portion as viewed return-bent to form a U-shaped section as shown particularly at FIG- URE 5A. The return-bent portions 52 and 53 are spaced apart a short distance to receive a releasable trip member 54 andthe parts having aligned openings therein through which a pivot pin 55 extends. The pivot pin 55 has its opposite ends headed over to attach these parts permanently together-at this point. The return-bent portions 53 each also include a projection 56 for a purpose to be described. I a

The operating mechanism includes a pair of interconnected toggle links 57 and 58,. pivotally connected respectively to the releasable trip member at 59 and to the center contact arm assembly at 60 the pivot pin'otl being the same pivot pin which interconnectsthe two portions of the center contact arm. V

The releasable trip member 54 includes a latching projection 61 which is normally in engagement with a bentover portion 62 of an intermediate latch member 63, pivotally supported between the side walls of the mechanism on pin 64. The latch member 63 has a lower extension portion 65 fior resetting purposes in a manner to be described. The intermediate latch member 63 is normally held in the position shown inFIGURE 3 by the engagement with a latch member 66, pivotally supported between the sides of the mechanism upon a pivot pin 6'7. The latch member 66 has an upstanding portion 68 adapted to be engaged by a current responsive member such as a bimetallic strip or an electro-magnetic armature, and has a latch-retaining portion 69 which normally engages the edge of the portion 62 by projecting into an opening 7t) in the latch member 63.

It will'therefore be observed that upward or clockwise rotation force of the releasable trip member 54 exerts a counterclockwise bias on the intermediate latch member 63. The latch member 63 is prevented from rotating in a counterclockwise direction, however, by its engagement with the portion 69 of the latch member 66.

The toggle members 57 and 58 are operated between colla sed and straightened positions to move the movable contact between corresponding open and closed circuit positions, by means of overcenter tension-type springs '71 which are connected between the bight portion of a generally U-shaped handle support member 72. and the knee point 73 of the toggle linkage. .The lower ends of the tension springs 71 are connected to the knee point 73 of the toggle linkage by means of a saddle shaped connecting member 7 comprising two interconnected generally U-shaped portions. The handle supporting member 72 is pivotally supported on lugs '75 bent outwardly from the mechanism side portions 50 and 51. i

For the purpose of facilitating manual operation of the circuitbreaker, a manually engageable handle portion 76 is provided, of insulating material, having an enlarged base portion and an upstanding handle portion. The base portion of the handle member 76 includes an aperture 77 through which a lug portion 7 8 of the handle support member 72 extends. An anchoring screw 79 extends through the bight portion of the handle support member 72 and into threaded engagement with the handle member 76, It will be observed that the handle member .76 is thereby rigidly and fixedly supported on the handle off position in solid lines and in the on position in dotted lines. It will be observed that as the handle '76 is moved from the off and toward the on position, the tension springs 7'1 passovercenter across the line of centers of the pins $9 and '73, and cause the upper toggle link 57 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction about its pivotal support 59 on the releasable trip member'St, thereby straightening the toggle linkage and moving the contact arm to closed circuit position. The toggle link 57 is stopped in its forward movement by engagement with a pin 30 carried by the releasable trip member 54.

When the releasable trip member 54 is released by action of a current responsive device as described above, the action of the tension springs 71 is such as'to draw the toggle knee pivot pin 73 of the toggle linkage upwardly toward the handle, thereby rotating the trip member 54 clock-wise about its pivotal support 55 and moving the contact arms to open position as shown in FIGURE 4. The movement of the releasable trip member 54 clockwise is limited by the engagement of the pin so with the projection 56 carried by the portions 52, 53 of the mechanism side plates. In addition, as the trip me 1-- ber 54 starts to rotate clockwise upon being released from the intermediate latch 63, the pin 80 which is in engagement with the forward edge of the upper toggle link 57, moves slightly to the left as viewed in FIGURE 3 and assists in the opening action by starting a collapsing action of the toggle linkage.

As the pin 73 moves upwardly under the influence of the springs 71, it also moves toward the left and thereby changes the line of action of the springs 71 with respect to the pivot point 75 of the handle support member 72 and causes the handle support member 72 to move counterclockwise. The counterclockwise movement of the handle support member 72 is limited by the engagement of pin 81 carried by the handle support member 72 with the edge portion 82 of the releasable trip member 54, in which position, the parts come to rest. Overtravel or whipping of the contact-carrying portions 17 of the two outside poles is restricted by the provision of abutments 17a molded integral with the casing cover 11.

In order to reset and reclose the circuit breaker mechanism, the handle is moved manually toward the off position during which movement the pin 81 carried by the handle support member 72, engages the edge portion 82 of the releasable trip member 54 and likewise rotates it in a counterclockwise direction until the latch end portion 61 thereof is below the latch retaining portion 62 of the intermediate latch member 63. Slight further counterclockwise movement of the handle '72 causes the knee pontion of the toggle linkage 57 and 58 to engage the extension 65 of the intermediate latch member 63, thereby rotating the intermediate latch member 63 in clockwise direction so that the latch retaining portion 62 overlies the latch portion 61 of the releasable trip member. The latch member 66 is then free to rotate slightly counterclockwise under the bias of latch return spring 84 to again retain the latch portion 62 in latching position. The breaker may thereafter be returned to the on position.

It will be observed that because of dimensional limitations, the releasable trip member 54 is not long enough, nor is sutlicient counter rotation of the handle member 72 possible to cause resetting of the latch member 63 by means of the end portion of the trip member. Instead, use is made of the knee portion of the toggle linkage to perform this function, thus making possible an extremely compact mechanism.

The side plate members 50 and Eli of the mechanism are retained on the insulating base by suitable means such as by screws as which enter into lanced out threaded portions 87 of the side plates. It will be observed that the positioning of the side plates with respect to the insulating base is determined by the lower edge of the side frames, and that no bending-over is necessary to attach these parts. This affords an important advantage, since the dimensions which are determined by stamping out of a piece of metal in the fiat condition can be extremely closely controlled, while those involved or affected by bending of the metal cannot be very well controlled. By utilizing side mechanisms which are identical in the stamped or fiat condition and mounting them on the insulating base with a blanked edge as the determining dimensional factor, accurate transverse alignment of these'parts is assured. This assures also that there will be no tilting or cocking of the mechanism, which would be Very undesirable because of the limited space involved, and also makes it possible to use only a single joining member to attach the two-side plate portions of the mechanism together, i.e., pin 55, it being observed that none of the other pins which are positioned between the sides 6 of the casing are headed-over or include retaining elements.

The contact cross arm 22 is pivotally supported by being inserted into open end notches 88 in the side plates 50 and SI. This restrains the contact cross arm from movement vertically toward and away from the back wall of the circuit breaker casing. The contact shaft cross arm 22 is retained from movement horizontally, that is, parallel to the back wall of the circuit breaker by engagement of portions thereof with corresponding vertical bearing portions provided integral with the insulating casing. Such bearing surfaces are shown, for example, in FIG- URE l at 89 in the outer side wall of the casing and also at 89 in the insulating barrier portion between the two adjacent recesses. This construction greatly simplifies the assembly of the mechanism and the circuit breaker, since it is only necessary to insert the contact cross arm in the notches 87 of the side mechanism plates and then to insert the assembled mechanism into the insulating base of the circuit breaker and to anchor it therein. Thereafter, the contact cross arm is closely retained from movement in all directions by the various bearing surfaces mentioned.

The common trip bar 66 is pivotally supported upon a shaft 67 which is provided with a pair of intermediate non-circular portions which are adapted to fit into the slots 9b in the mechanism side plates and then to be rotated into final position in the enlarged portion of the slots (see FIGURE 4). Thereafter it cannot be removed from its position since it is not possible to rotate the trip member sufficiently after insertion in the circuit breaker casing.

Referring to FIGURE 2, it will be observed that the parts comprising the winding 27 of the magnetic trip and the connecting strap 26 connecting to the braid 25 are connected together as described above by the screw 45. Although this screw serves primarily to bolt these conductive members directly together to establish an electrical connection, it also serves to maintain and anchor this end of the magnet winding in place. Thus the conductive strap 26 includes portions overlying portions of the insulating casing, namely, at 92 and an intermediate portion underlying a portion of the insulating casing at 94. This is made possible by providing an opening 92a in the bottom of the casing so that the portion 94 of the casing constitutes a bridge-like portion raised above the general level of the bottom of the insulating casing and under which the strap 26 may be extended. When the parts 26 and 27 are connected together by the screws 45, it will be observed that the parts are all maintained in position as well as being connected together. This mounting between the screws 45 and 30 also serves to retain the entire magnetic trip assembly in position comprising the core 28 and its associated pole pieces 34.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be observed that the circuit breaker casing is provided with extended end portions of the cover 11 thereof which extend over the line and load terminals 15 and 33. Generally square access openings 93 are provided in these extended portions in order to permit the insertion of a screwdriver to tighten the terminals 15 and 33. In order to make possible the ready closure of the openings 93, however, lip portions 95 are provided at each of two opposed sides of the apertures 93 and projections 96, extending inwardly from the other two opposed sides of the aperture. A closure member 97, conforming in outline generally to the apertures 93 and of relatively thin resilient insulating material, is then snapped into position in each of the apertures 93 so as to assume the trapped position shown in FIGURE 2. It has been found that these closure members are securely retained by this construction and that it is virtually impossible to remove them from the top surface of the breaker.

Referring to FIGURE 10, there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, an auxiliary switch 7 which is rigidly attached to a supporting plate 101. The supporting plate 101 is retained in position by portions .thereof which extend into slot-s 102 in opposed side walls portion thereof dimensioned so that when the handle is in either the on or the off position, the actuator of the switch 100 is held in an inactive position. The insulating' handle member 76 is, however, also provided with a recess 106 in the side wall thereof substantially half way between the ends thereof which is disposed to be in alignment with the actuator 103 when the handle is in the tripped position as indicated in FIGURES 2 and 4. When the handle is in this position, the extensions 103a extends into the recess 106 allowing the switch 100 to assume its closed position, thereby giving a remote indication of the tripped condition of the circuit breaker. By means of'this constructiomit is unnecessary to add any particular actuating portion to the circuit breaker mechanism in order to actuate such a trip indicating switch, or to have engagement with the releasable trip member 54. The handle 76 is also provided with a recess 106 in both sides thereof so that the trip indicating switch may be mounted in either of the outer chambers 12 as desired. For the purpose of facilitating the introduction of conductors to and from the switch 100 or similar device, knockout portions 10a (see FIG. 1) are provided in the bottom wall of the casing base 10*, between the central chamber 12 and each of the two outside chambers.

In FIGURES 7-9 I have shown modifications of the trip or current responsive mechanism. In FIGURE 7 I there is shown a mechanism which includes a magnetic trip having a winding comprising three complete turns. In FIGURE 8 there is shown a magnetic trip having a I winding comprising only a single turn, while in FIGURE 9 there is shown a magnetic trip having a winding comprising two complete turns.

In FIGURE-6 there is shown a modification of the invention which is adapted for use in a single-pole circuit breaker. In this form of the invention, the intermediate latch member 63 is omitted and instead the latch member 110 is pivotally supported on a pin 111 in the side frame members of the mechanism and is biased by a tension type spring 112 in a counterclockwise direction. The latch member 110 includes an intenmediate lancedout latch portion 113 which engages the latching end 61 of the releasable trip member 54. Upon deflection of the bimetallic strip 114, the screw 115 carried thereby engages the upper end of the trip member of the latch 110 and rotates it clockwise, Withdrawing the latch 113 from the'tripped member 54- and causing tripping. A (magnetic trip member is also provided, including a generally U-shaped field piece 116 rigidly attached to the bimetallic strip "114 and adapted to attract the lower end of the latch member 110 as an armature, to likewise cause tripping. In order to provide a by passing circuit to protect the bimetallic strip 114 in a manner similar to that de scribed above, a pair of shorting contacts 117 are provided, one of which is carried in insulated relation on the latch member 110 and connected by a flexible conductor or braid, not shown, to the upper end of the bimetallic it will be readily appreciated that many modifications thereof maybe made by those skilled in the art, and I therefore intend by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent or" the United States is:

1. An electric circuit breaker comprising a casing of insulating material, at least one relatively'stationary contact supported in said insulating casing, at least one relatively movable contact supported in said insulating casing, operating means for operating said relatively movable contact between open and closed circuit positions, said operating means including releasable means for automatic opening of said contact in response to the occurrence of predetermined current conditions through said circuit breaker, said operating means further including manually operable means having an insulating portion projecting out of said casing, said manually operable means being movable between an elf position in which said movable contact is out of engagement with said stationary contact and an on" position in which saidmovable contact is in engagement with said stationary contact, said manually operable means being movable by said operating means to a tripped position different from said 0E and said on positions on the occurrence of automatic movement of said movable contact, an auxiliary switch within said casing of insulating material including an actuating member, said manually operable means including means cooperable with said auxiliary switch to actuate said auxiliary switch when said manually operable means moves to said tripped-position.

2. An electric circuit breaker comprising a casing of insulating material, at least one relatively stationary contact supported in said casing, at least one relatively movable contact supported in said insulated casing, operating means for operating said movable contact into and out of engagement with said stationary contact, said operating means including manually operable means for operating said movable contact, said manually operable means comprising an operating handle movable between an on position in which'said movable contact is in engagement with said stationary Contact and 011 position in which said movable contact is out of engagement with said stationary contacts, said operating means also including means for causing automatic movement of said movable contact from said engaged to said disengaged position upon the occurrence of predetermined current conditions in said circuit breaker, said manually operable means being movable toa tripped position different from said off and on positions upon said automatic opening movement of said movable contact,

and auxiliary switch means supported in said casing of insulating material and including a projecting actuator, said manually operable means including means cooperable with said projecting actuator to actuate said auxiliary switch when said manually operable means moves to said tripped position.

3. An electric circuit breaker comprising a casing of molded insulating material, at least two side-by-side chambers in said casing, a barrier of insulating material separating said chambers, at least one relatively stationary contact in each of said chambers, at least one relatively movable contact in each of said chambers, operating means supported in one of said chambers for operating said movable contacts between olt and on positions, said operating means including a manually engageable handle member movable between an cit position in which said movable contacts are out of engagement with said relatively stationary contacts and n on position in which said movable contacts are in engagement with said relatively stationary contacts, said operating means also comprising means for automatically moving said'relatively movable contacts to said'disengaged position upon the occurrence of predetermined current conditions in said circuit breaker, said operating means further including means for moving said handle to a tripped position different from said off and on positions upon the occurrence of predetermined current conditions through said circuit breaker, an auxiliary switch supported in one of said chambers not containing said manually operable means, an aperture in said barrier, an actuator member having a portion thereof projecting through said aperture, said auxiliary switch comprising means for urging said actuator outwardly of said auxiliary switch and into engagement with said movable'handle member, said movable handle member having a cam surface, said cam surface causing movement of said switch actuator to a position upon movement of said handle to said tripped position different from the condition of said switch when said handle is in either said off or said on position.

4. An electric circuit breaker comprising a casing of insulating material, at least one relatively stationary contact supported in said casing, at least one relatively movable contact supported, in said casing, operating mechanism for operating said movable contact into and out of engagement with said stationary contact, manually operable means for operating said mechanism comprising an operating handle movable between on and oil positions, said operating mechanism including means for causing automatic opening movement of said movable contact upon the occurrence of predetermined current conditions in said circuit breaker, said operating handle being movable to a tripped position intermediate said oil and on positions upon automatic opening movement of said contact, auxiliary switch means including a projecting actuator, said operating handle having cam portions at opposite sides thereof respectively, and means for mounting said auxiliary switch in said casing with said actuator in position to be acted on by one of said cam pontions selectively when said handle is in said tripped position.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gelzheiser et al. Oct. 20, 1953 2,686,242 Leonard et al. Aug. 10, 1954 

1. AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING A CASING OF INSULATING MATERIAL, AT LEAST ONE RELATIVELY STATIONARY CONTACT SUPPORTED IN SAID INSULATING CASING, AT LEAST ONE RELATIVELY MOVABLE CONTACT SUPPORTED IN SAID INSULATING CASING, OPERATING MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID RELATIVELY MOVABLE CONTACT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED CIRCUIT POSITIONS, SAID OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING RELEASABLE MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC OPENING OF SAID CONTACT IN RESPONSE TO THE OCCURRENCE OF PREDETERMINED CURRENT CONDITIONS THROUGH SAID CIRCUIT BREAKER, SAID OPERATING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS HAVING AN INSULATING PORTION PROJECTING OUT OF SAID CASING, SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN AN "OFF" POSITION IN WHICH SAID MOVABLE CONTACT IS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT AND AN "ON" POSITION IN WHICH SAID MOVABLE CONTACT IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT, SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS BEING MOVABLE BY SAID OPERATING MEANS TO A "TRIPPED" POSITION DIFFERENT FROM SAID "OFF" AND SAID "ON" POSITIONS ON THE OCCURENCE OF AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE CONTACT, AN AUXILIARY SWITCH WITHIN SAID CASING OF INSULATING MATERIAL INCLUDING AN ACTUATING MEMBER, SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS INCLUDING MEANS COOPERABLE WITH SAID AUXILIARY SWITCH TO ACTUATE SAID AUXILIARY SWITCH WHEN SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS MOVES TO SAID "TRIPPED" POSITION. 